WINNING will always be more important than positioning for draft picks for Carlton coach Brendon Bolton, who does not think there is a need for a lottery system.
It was suggested this week that Bolton's Blues were getting further away from a premiership because their 5-5 record had taken them out of contention for prime draft picks.
Under the AFL's draft system, Carlton would have pick No.8 as the ladder stands after 10 rounds.
Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy said a mid-table finish could set the Blues back because "they haven't, as yet, accumulated enough talent" with prime draft picks.
"Let me start by saying that creating a culture of sustained success is important," Bolton said on Friday.
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"So that's about standards, values and behaviours. That's No.1 and always will be at the Carlton Football Club.
"I haven't had a chance to think of all the permutations of going into a lottery.
"The way I look at it, I'm not sure it's broken, but I need more time to think about that."
Carlton's clash with the Brisbane Lions on Saturday at Etihad Stadium will see the No.1 and No.2 selections from last year's NAB AFL Draft square off.
Bolton didn't want to overplay a match-up between No.1 pick Jacob Weitering and young Lions' forward Josh Schache, but said it should happen at some stage.
"If we get that match-up it will be exciting for the fans," Bolton said.
"I think it may happen at some point, but we play team defence so it can't happen all the time."
The Blues will be without skipper Marc Murphy for up to a month with an ankle injury, but Bolton was confident the club had the leaders to cover his absence, with Kade Simpson to captain the team.
In the midfield, Nick Graham has been selected after two impressive VFL performances, including a 25-tackle effort in round seven.
"I say this weekly, we want to be defined by our pressure and he'll just add to that," Bolton said.
"I'm sure the likes of (Andrew) Walker, (Bryce) Gibbs, (Patrick) Cripps, (Ed) Curnow, they'll all step up.
"He (Murphy) is a quality midfielder, but we can't rely on one individual and to this point in the year we don't think we have.
"We need to be a team that’s the sum of its parts."
The Blues had a light week on the track because of a six-day break, with key forwards Levi Casboult and Matthew Kreuzer appearing to pull up well from last week's surprise returns from injury.
Youngster Jack Silvagni continues to push his claims for a debut and was "on par" for a first-year player so far, Bolton said.
"He's building his body, understanding his body more, and hopefully now he gets some consistent footy under him," the coach said.
